Norway’s crown princess apologises over Epstein ties amid royal embarrassment

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit said on Friday she “deeply regretted” her friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the embarrassment it has caused the royal family.

A commoner who married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, Mette-Marit’s name appears in new Epstein documents released a week ago by the US Justice Department. The documents revealed an unexpectedly close friendship between the two and raised questions in Norway about whether Mette-Marit can become queen.

“I deeply regret my friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. It is important for me to apologise to all of those whom I have disappointed … I also regret the situation I have put the royal family in, especially the king and queen,” she said in a statement from the palace.

It added that the crown princess, 52, wished to tell more and explain herself in detail.

“She can’t do that now,” it said, noting that she was in a “very demanding situation”.

The mention of someone’s name in the US files does not necessarily imply wrongdoing.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution and died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.